Spring-hinge



(No Model.)

J. WOLF.

SPRING HINGE.

No. 461,908. Patented-"OM17, 1891.

WITNESSEZ I INVENTOB Josef wo I/f, um ua/1o UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEF won, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SPRING- HINGE.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,908, dated October27, 1891.

Application filed March 18, 1891.

To all whom it may concern:

on, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in hinges and serves forthe purpose of removabl'y hanging doors, shutters, &c.,

and also as a spring and holdback for reliably holding open the door orshutter when entirely thrown back, and which serves also as a means forautomatically closing the door or shutter when the same has beenpartially opened. I

The invention consists in certain arrangements and combinations ofparts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and finally embodiedin the clauses of the claim.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, inwhich similar letters and figures of reference are employed to indicatecorresponding parts in each of the several views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved hinge, with one hinge-leafprovided with a cylinder, shown in section, and a spring-actuated pistontherein connected by means of an eye with a finger arranged on the otherhinge-leaf, whereby the door or shutter can be removed withoutdisturbing the operating-mechanism of the hinge, or without removing thescrews securing the hinge-leaves. Figs. 2 and 3 are views of therespective sides of my hinge. Fig. 4 is a view similar to thatrepresented in Fig. 2, but showing the hinge-leaves in open relationwhen the door or shutter has been opened. Fig. 5 is a reverse view ofthat illustrated in Fig. 4, the cylinder being represented in section toillustrate more clearly the arrangement and the working parts of thespringactnated piston. Fig. 6 is an end view of one of the hinge-leavesprovided with the cylinder. Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are detail views ofdent.

a modified form of piston and its rods; and Figs. 8 and 9 are sectionstaken on linesw and y, respectively, in Fig. 7.

In the drawings, a. and a indicate the two leaves of my spring-hinge,each leaf being provided with the usual perforations for the insertionof screws for securing the respective leaves to a door or shutter andthe frame. As will be seen from the figures,'the hinge leaf or plate ais provided with the usual ear a and a pintle a while the other leaf orplate a is provided with an ear a having a hole or perforationcftherein, by ,IIIGZLIlSlOf which, when the leaves have been securedupon the door or shutter and the frame, respectively, said shutter ordoor can be removably hung in its frame by inserting the perforated cara over the post or pintle a as will be evi- Upon the hinge-leaf a I havealso formed a casing or cylinder (i preferably open at its end a saidcylinderand the hingeleaf being preferably cast in one piece. Withinsaid cylinder is arranged a rod 1), provided with a threaded end 1),upon which can be screwed a piston c, said piston being provided at oneend with a funnel-shaped opening 0 and upon the side with recesses 0 sothat when said piston has been placed within the open end of thecylinder, after the rod and its connecting mechanism have also beenarranged therein, it need only be forced down upon a spring d,encircling the rod 1), and turned by means of a wrench fitting into therecesses 0 when the end of the rod will be forced into the funnelshapedopening 0 and the piston screwed upon the end of said rod. By this meansthe piston can be readily adjusted upon the end of the rod to increaseor decrease the tension of the spring. In lieu of the piston shown inFigs. 1 and 6, I can use a piston of the construction shown in Figs. 7,8, and 9, whichis provided with alongitudinal slot 0 and with twooppositelyplaced recesses cfiwhich are open on that side communicatingwith the slot. In that case, instead of using a rod provided with ascrewthread, I form the end of the rod b with a flattened head 5 havingthe shoulders 6 Said flattened head is inserted through the longitudinalslot 0 in the piston, and the latter turned upon the rod, so that theshoulders b will rest within the recesses c of said piston. In thismanner I have constructed two forms of cylinders and rods, which can bereadily secured in place in the cylinder. The forward end of the rod 1),as will be seen from Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 10, is provided with an eye I),and pivotally connected to said end is a link e, secured thereto bymeans of the pin e, passing through a perforation in the end of the link6 and through the eye I). In front of the partially-closed end a of thecylinder is a connecting-head f, provided with a perforation f, and theshoulders f and f which bear against the end of the cylinder, while alink connection f on the said head is made to project through an openinga in said end and pivotally attached to the opposite end of the link 6,as will be clearly seen from the drawings. The opposite leaf a, providedwith the ear a has a downwardly-projecting post or finger at which, whenthe perforated ear has been inserted over the pintle or post a passesdown into the perforation or hole f in the connecting-head f, andthereby a flexible and pivotal connection is formed between thehinge-plates a and a. IVhen the door or shutter closes with a slam,theshoulders f and f comein contact with the end of the cylinder, and owingto the fact that the hole in a the head f thereby assumes a certainposition, and also owing to the loose arrangement of the finger Withinsaid hole, said finger does not receive the shock with sufficient forceto break ofi said finger from the leaf a, and I am thereby enabled tocast the two in one piece.

The operation of my improved spring-actuated hinge is as follows: Whenthe two leaves have been secured to the door or shutter and to theframe, as stated, said door or shutter can be hung within its frame, theseveral parts of the hinge and its operating mechanism being arranged asrepresented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. IVhen in the position shown in Fig.1, the springis at rest; but as soon as the door or shutter has beenopened, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, the finger a draws upon theconnecting-head f, which causes the latter and the link e and rod 1) andits piston to assume the positions indicated in said figures. When thedoor or shutter has been opened to such a distance that the link 6 andthe connecting-head f remain in a position to the right of the verticalaxis of the pintle, then the door or shutter will be automaticallyclosed, returning in the direction of arrow 1 in Fig. 4; but when saidparts have traveled beyond said point to the left of said axis then thedoor or shutter will be forced still farther open, the spring acting todraw in an opposite direction upon the head f, as will be seen from Fig.5, whereby the door is held entirely open until closed by a person.

By my construction herein described I have devised a hinge provided withmechanism for automatically closing the dooror holding it entirely open,in which the door or shutter can be lifted from its hinges without firsttaki'ng'off the operating mechanism or touching the same in any manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In aspring-hinge, the leaf a, provided with a cylinder and anupwardly-projecting pintle, and a leaf a, provided with a perforated earand a downwardly-projecting finger or post, and a spring-actuated rodconnected with said post, whereby said leaves and the operatingmechanism can be placed in separable sliding relation to'each other, forthe purposes set forth.

2. In a spring-hinge, the leaf a, provided with a cylinder and anupwardly-projecting pintle, and a leaf a, provided with a perforated earand a downwardly-projecting finger or post, a spring-actuated rod insaid cylinder, and a flexible connection for pivotally connecting saidrod with said finger or post, whereby said leaves and the operatingmechanism can be placed in separable sliding relation to each other, forthe purposes set forth.

3. In a spring-hinge, the leaf (1, provided with a cylinder, and a leafa, provided with a finger or post, a piston and a spring-actuated rod insaid cylinder, a link 6, and a connecting-head f, provided with aperforation, said head being in pivotal engagement with said finger orpost, whereby said leaves and the operating mechanism can be placed inseparable sliding relation to each other, for the purposes set forth.

4. In a spring-hinge, in combination with the spring-actuated rod 1),provided with a head consistingof oppositely-projectingshoulders b apiston 0, provided wth a slot 0 and recesses 0 whereby said piston canbe turned into holding engagement with the shoulders on the rod b, asand for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereuntoset my hand this 17th day of February, 1891.

JOSEF WOLF.

Witnesses:

FREDK. O. FRAENTZEL, WM. H. OAMFIELD, Jr.

